Online Discussion of Metastic Breast Cancer

Hello, I am writing to you from MedPanel, a Boston-based market research company. We conduct market research for the pharmaceutical industry. Currently one of our clients is interested in hearing directly from metastatic breast cancer and their caregivers. I am posting a message here because this seems to be an active, supporting environment for anyone touched by mBC. If I am out of line for making this post here, please do let me know. I thought making a wall post would be more appropriate than contacting members individually.

Over the past few months we have done similar research on the topic of chronic myelogenous leukemia. The men and women involved in the study found our online forum easy to use, and many contacted me by phone or email after the study to thank me for all that they learned through the discussion. In short, this research is beneficial for the metastatic breast cancer cause and is also an up lifting experience for those participating. If you are interested, read the details below. You can also contact me if you have any questions.

We would like to invite you to join an online discussion among women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and their caregivers. The overall goal is to gain insight on the mBC journey. During this discussion, we would like to learn what issues are having the biggest impact on you? What sorts of programs and information sources are you interested in? And what did you expect along each step of this experience? The purpose of this study is to design new patient education materials to better inform newly diagnosed women.

Participating in the online discussion will take an estimated 90 minutes of your time over the course of 7-10 days. For your complete participation you will receive the payment of $150. Your name and contact information will remain anonymous, and will not be linked with any comments you provide during the discussion. This research is not part of a clinical trial. At no time will you be asked to take any drug as part of this study.

The discussion will take place in a password-protected, online discussion that can be accessed anywhere with an Internet connection. This discussion is not "live." You can login to answer questions at anytime during the allotted discussion period. You will also be able to read and respond to comments made by other participating women diagnosed with mBC. Many of our participants find this to be an educational and up lifting process. We would love to have your contribution.

Also, feel free to forward this invitation onto any other women with mBC or any mBC caregivers.

Details about this online focus group:

• Rounds of Questions Three
• Projected Start Date: Wednesday, September 8th
• Time commitment: 10-12 initial questions: All panelists required to complete within 72 hours

Time commitment = 45 minutes
Two rounds of follow-up questions scheduled to post over the course of 5-7 days
Time estimated for each panelist:

• 30 minutes for the first round of follow-up questions
• 15 minutes for the second round of follow-up questions
• Compensation: The payment of $150 is payable upon completion of all discussion questions

How to contribute to this online discussion
If you are interested in participating, please click the link below. It will take you to an online survey, asking you a few brief preliminary questions. We will then review your responses to determine whether you fit the desired profile for this online discussion. Answering the preliminary questions should take no more than five minutes of your time.

http://medpanelsurvey.com/Perseus/se.ashx?s=04BD76CC22F4F9D8

If you have any questions, please email me at philip.moyer@medpanel.com or call me at 617-532-5744. I am happy to provide further details about the research. I hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,

Philip Moyer
Philip Moyer| Manager, Community Development | MedPanel, LLC
150 Cambridgepark Drive, 7th Floor | Cambridge, MA 02140
philip.moyer@medpanel.com | www.medpanel.com
P: 617-532-5744 | F: 617-532-5799